Regime Change by Other Means: The Enduring Venezuelan Playbook
Same playbook, different decade: The article's framing of widespread 'anxiety' and 'confusion' in Venezuela following aggressive US measures serves as an illustrative case of a recurring foreign policy pattern: the application of external pressure to foment internal dissent, thereby justifying further intervention. THE CLAIM: The Independent article attributes the prevailing Venezuelan conditions
of 'protests, confusion, and anxiety' directly to US actions targeting Maduro. It cites interviews suggesting a society nearing collapse, with millions requiring 'humanitarian aid.' THE EVIDENCE: The public record demonstrates a long history of US intervention in Latin America aimed at regime change. In 2019, the Trump administration recognized Juan Guaidó as the interim president of Venezuela,
escalating sanctions that had already begun under the Obama administration. A US Government Accountability Office (GAO) report from 2021 noted that these sanctions contributed to the contraction of Venezuela's economy and exacerbated humanitarian conditions, particularly impacting the oil sector, which accounts for 99% of the country's export earnings. This directly contradicts the notion that US
actions are solely aimed at 'freeing' the population without significant collateral damage. THE CONTRADICTIONS: The Independent’s report, while detailing hardship, does not thoroughly contextualize the direct correlation between the severity and breadth of US sanctions and the suffering described. The narrative implies a spontaneous, internal unraveling, yet overlooks the intentional design of